Singapore has executed a man for conspiring to trade cannabis despite pleas for clemency from his family, activists, and the United Nations.
Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged at dawn on Wednesday, April 26 over a plot to smuggle 1kg (35oz) of cannabis.
His conviction was allegedly based on flimsy evidence, and his legal representation was scarce during his trial, according to activists.
Authorities in Singapore, however, argued that he received a fair trial and condemned anyone who questioned the court’s ruling.
On Wednesday, Tangaraju Suppiah’s family gathered at Changi Prison, which is close to the airport in the east of the city, to receive his remains.
Singapore has one of the strictest anti-drug regulations in the world. Singapore’s anti-drug laws are some of the strictest in the world. Those guilty of trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis potentially face the death penalty.
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It makes the case that the rules are a crucial deterrent to drug crime, which is a serious problem throughout South-East Asia.
Last year Singapore hanged 11 people, all on drugs charges. The group included an intellectually impaired man convicted of trafficking three tablespoons of heroin.
Meanwhile Singapore’s neighbouring country Malaysia abolished mandatory death penalties earlier this month. They said it was not an effective deterrent to crime.
